Dragon in Cloud (Chinese Painting) CHEN Rong, (Song Dynasty)

　　The painting of Dragon in Cloud, by the Southern Song Dynasty painter CHEN Rong and donated to the country by DENG Tuo in 1964, is collected in the National Art Museum of China. The subject of painting dragon has existed since the ancient time, however, such style of painting became a special category since the appearance of painters DONG Yu, CHEN Rong and others in the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty.

　　The Dragon in Cloud showcases a dragon in the sky by ink, highlighting the potential from upper right to the lower left by art of composition, dragon body circling in shape of an "S" with great momentum. Upper head and spraying hair, the dragon shows unprecedented high-spirited quality with strong claws hidden in the clouds. The splashes of smoky clouds and the dragon form create sharp contrast, setting off an all-powerful appearance of dragon.